This invention relates to a process for roasting and salting edible nuts and seeds.
The usual present commercial process for roasting nuts is to roast them in oil, such as cottonseed or other oil, after which they are salted and packed. A thin film of oil adheres the salt to the nut. Nuts treated in such manner further require chemical preservatives that will prevent rancidity. Also, such nuts are not usually uniformly salted, inasmuch as some of the salt adhered thereto will drop off, and portions of the nut having received excessive oil will retain greater amounts of salt. Furthermore, the oil adversely affects crispness and flavor, and constitutes an additive ingredient of foreign origin with respect to the treated nut.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,190 describes a process for applying salt to nuts by immersing the nuts in a heated salt solution, followed by roasting in a pressurized vessel. Although such process avoids the use of oil additives, it involves an expensive batch-wise operation and specialized equipment capable of withstanding pressures of at least 210 pounds per square inch.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a process for roasting and applying salt to nuts without use of oil additives or high pressure conditions.
It is another object of this invention to provide a process as in the foregoing objective which achieves improved uniformity of the resultant treated nuts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a process of the aforesaid nature wherein the salt becomes more strongly attached to the nuts.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an economical process of the aforesaid nature which does not require use of preservatives, and yields a crisp product having good flavor.